Wouldn't that make her the same as her ancestors?!
Back then, their ancestors had seized the overwhelming power of the Titans and started invading other countries, turning people into slaves—arrogant, unrestrained, utterly shameless.
Slaughter. Blood. Ever since the Titans first descended upon the land, they had brought endless catastrophe to humanity.
And of all things, they were the race that could transform into Titans.
The Marleyans weren't wrong—Eldians really were devils. That was a fact that couldn't be washed clean.
Gabi didn't think she was wrong.
She was trying to change all of this, too.
The Rumbling only made her more certain that her people were inherently guilty—and that now was the time to do something, to cleanse themselves.
"No time to waste, Falco. We have to go back right now. Otherwise, the other devils from Paradis Island are going to land. If we don't kill every last one of them, the Marleyans will never believe we've truly turned over a new leaf."
As she spoke, Gabi squatted down and began helping Falco pick up the remains on the ground.
Even though the blood-soaked disgust still made her want to vomit, Gabi forced herself to endure it.
Falco stared at her indifferently.
"If it disgusts you, then drop it."
But Gabi didn't let go at all.
"I get what you're thinking now, Falco. But whether you agree with me or deny me, there's only one thing we must do right now: stop the Rumbling.
"You're right—I don't want our people to die. I cherish them. I feel like the days I spent with them were the only days I truly lived. But you have to understand: not every Eldian is like our relatives and friends—'good Eldians.'
"Roger Eikam is the perfect example. He's a bad person—an irrational bad person. With Titan power, he'll want to kill everyone in the world. Marley treats us terribly, yes—but is Roger Eikam any better?
"Falco, we're not dogs. We're atoning. If Roger Eikam rules the world, then we'll just become murderers."
"We've already killed a lot of people, Gabi." Falco's expression didn't change at all. "I don't know what kind of person Roger Eikam is. But I know exactly what kind of people the Marleyans are. They used our Eldian power to invade the whole world, then threw all the filth on us and made everyone in the world hate us.
"Gabi—even in a hundred years, even in ten thousand years, we'll never be 'cleared.' I can see it clearly: if you keep going like this, you'll end up as Marley's dog.
"Think about what the Titan Warriors have done throughout history. At first, it was 'for Marley's construction and development'… and later? Conquering cities for Marley, killing countless people.
"Tell me, Gabi—why do you want to become that kind of person?"
Gabi didn't answer.
After helping Falco gather the remains and roll them into the cloth, she stood up and wiped the blood from her hands.
"No matter what you say, I'm going to do what I believe is right. No one can stop me. I will kill that devil Roger Eikam! And when I do, the people of the world will thank me!"
Then Gabi sprinted back toward her country—Marley.
Behind her, Falco's eyes turned a clear, icy blue.
He watched as the Titans continued forward, and under their feet, Gabi was still running with everything she had.
Falco tied up his brother's remains in the cloth with a rope and dragged it behind him as he walked forward—slowly, painfully slowly.
And yet, the Titans' pace suddenly seemed to slow as well—until Falco successfully returned inside the walls.
At that very moment, a thousand meters above, the eyes of Roger Eikam's Titan also turned a deep, glowing blue.
He looked down, watching the boy drag his brother back toward his homeland.
"Just as you expected, Eren. I think I'm ready to hand in a satisfactory answer."
As Roger Eikam spoke, he issued the order for every Titan to surround Marley and form walls.
And inside Marley's walls, in the internment zone, the enraged Eldians launched a frenzied assault on the Marleyans.
They surged forward, never even realizing a child was under their feet.
Gabi was trampled into critical injury, drenched in blood. She lay in a pool of red, screaming for help, hoping Falco would put everything aside and come save her.
Falco looked at her in silence. He thought for a long time—then finally reached out and yanked her out of the crowd.
"Th… thank you, Falco…"
With multiple fractures, Gabi lay weakly on the ground, barely breathing.
Now she felt her own helplessness with painful clarity. In the face of a furious mob, she could do nothing at all.
"Do you understand what you've been doing now?" Falco asked.
Gabi lay there for a long time, unable to say a single word.
Falco looked toward the crowd, then farther still—toward the Titan walls.
"I understand what Roger Eikam is trying to do now, Gabi. Look carefully. This is what Marleyans really look like. Even now, at a moment like this, they're still thinking about forcing Eldians to dig escape tunnels for them. Obey—or die.
"And you? You went to block your own people like a complete idiot. Ending up like this is what you deserve!"
"Say whatever you want."
Gabi still tried to be stubborn, but her eyes were already brimming with tears.
Falco stared at her in silence, listening to the chaos around them.
"…How could I not understand what you're saying, Falco? Do you think I want to do this? Our fate is already bound to Marley now. Roger Eikam trapped us behind walls—we can't get out. Digging tunnels is the only way we might all survive."
"Then why do we have to dig?" Falco demanded.
"Now isn't the time to obsess over that, Falco," Gabi said. "Do Marleyans have that kind of experience?"
"What?"
"This is the kind of work we've always done. So of course we have more experience. If we do it, we'll get twice the result with half the effort, right?"
Hearing that, Falco finally snapped.
He grabbed Gabi by the collar, hauled her up, and slammed a fist into her—then threw her back down.
"You're a pile of shit—so stupid it's beyond saving, Gabi! You want to be an Honorary Marleyan, so of course you've never done backbreaking labor like digging tunnels! Of course you don't know how many Eldians die in the mines every year!
"Do you think most of them die from accidents? Hah—no. They're whipped to death by Marleyans!
"Gabi, you fucking bastard—how stupid do you have to be to willingly become Marley's obedient dog?!"
With that, the last shred of illusion Falco had about Gabi died completely. He spat on her, then abandoned her coldly in the street.
Lying on the ground, Gabi was still confused—why was Falco this furious?
Then a Marleyan soldier walked over and stopped beside her. He pointed a gun at her, then looked curiously at her sleeve.
"A yellow armband… huh. Warrior candidate?" he asked, slowly lowering the muzzle.
Gabi was so moved that tears poured out. Of course—Marley hadn't forgotten her.
She nodded with difficulty.
"Sa… save…"
Suddenly, a tearing pain exploded in her chest.
Gabi's eyes went wide, disbelieving, as the soldier's bayonet drove into her heart and young blood spilled out.
He didn't linger. Seeing Eldians rioting again in the distance, the soldier quickly left.
Leaving only Gabi—lying in a blood-red pool on the ground, crying tears of regret, dying quietly.
So in the end…
From the very beginning…
Everything had been wrong.
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